I’ve been very fortunate to know and work with the smart storytellers at Stillmotion and Story & Heart, a band of filmmakers and educators who help elevate the craft of filmmaking by sharing their experience, knowledge, and approach to telling stories with heart.

I’ve learned many important lessons from them, but one of the biggest thing I’ve learned is that well told stories have the power to change the world.

This fall, Story & Heart launched the Storytelling Parade, a filmmaking challenge to tell stories of good in the world.

The rules were simple. One shoot day, one camera, one heart to your story, one clear take away. It sounds somehwhat constraining, but the truth is the rules helped us really focus in on the heart and message of our story, a great storytelling lesson. Creativity is often born out of constraint.

When I met Megan, I knew we would be great collaborators. She loves color. She loves to laugh. And she loves to create. She has more style in her pinky finger than most people have in their whole body. She’s also warm and kind and has so much fun while working really hard creating stylish stationery and building brilliant brands.

At the same time that we were making the MaeMae Movie, she and her team were working to build my beautiful new brand for Hello Sunshine Films. MaeMae listened so well to my philosophy and approach, and created a brand that supports and enhances the work I do. I’m so thrilled with the look, feel, and personality of Hello Sunshine Films!

Hollywood = 16% crew and 30% cast are women.
Dragonfly = 50% crew and 50% cast are women.
Proud to be part of the change for women in film.

‘Twas the night before filming and all through the house not a creature was stirring…except for me. My kids were tucked in, my husband had sensibly gone to bed over an hour ago, and even my brother, our line producer Matt, was sawing logs in our guest room. Meanwhile, I was in my PJs, nervously double-checking that I had everything in what felt like 80 bags I had packed to bring to set.

I’ve had many of these prep-nights getting ready for shoots, yet I felt totally out of my element on this particular Sunday night. Because, it was the night before my first day directing a feature film. Holy crap.

Every Monday our project chooses a weekly quote or saying to inspire and remind us why we are sacrificing sleep and sanity as we make our film called Dragonfly. This week our Monday Mantra came from Joan of Arc: “I am not afraid. I was born to do this.” It summed up what I wanted to feel that Sunday night.

But, do you want to know the truth? I was terrified. What if I wasn’t up to this? What if the project was a complete failure? What if no one showed up the next morning on set?

Despite all of the fears, I was also deep down really excited. Excited to see months of planning and vision for a story with real heart to come to life. Also, so excited to be working on project that is helping to work towards gender equity in film.

I feel really fortunate to have two other women, Cara & Mim, leading the charge with me for the Dragonfly film. And while we have been met with strong support and genuine encouragement for the project, the lack of women in film overall cannot be overstated

.

In 2013, women made up only 16% of all directors, producers, writers, cinematographers, and editors. This discrepancy is clear in front of the camera, too. In 2013, only 11% of identifiable protagonists were female and 78% were male. Women only made up 25.6% of leading roles.

But there is hope! Women have shown to support other women in film. Female directors increase the number of women working on their films by 21% for narrative films and 24% for documentaries. Tina Fey’s Mean Girls had the highest perentage (42%) of female crew members of any Hollywood film in the last 20 years.

When we sat down to think about it, we realized that our Screenwriter, Directors, Executive Producers,Three Main Characters, Production Designers, Animator, and Storyboard Artist are all women. Not to mention the other absolutely brilliant women working on this film.

Only four female filmmakers have ever been nominated for an Academy Award for best director: Lina Wermuller (Seven Beauties—1977), Jane Compion (The Piano—1994), Sofia Coppola (Lost in Translation—2004), and 2009 winner Katheryn Bigelow (The Hurt Locker).

Kathryn Bigelow is the only female director that has taken home an Oscar so far. She is a personal filmmaking role model for me, because her storytelling is so strong and also because of her wise perspective about women in film:

“If there’s specific resistance to women making movies, I just choose to ignore that as an obstacle for two reasons: I can’t change my gender, and I refuse to stop making movies. It’s irrelevant who or what directed a movie, the important thing is that you either respond to it or you don’t. There should be more women directing; I think there’s just not the awareness that it’s really possible. It is.” – Kathryn Bigelow

So how do we make a change? How do we support women in film? Women with vision, talent, and a whole lot of passion for telling great stories. By following the advice of Brenda Chapman (the first woman to win an Academy Award for Best Animated Feature): “Mentor. Inspire. Move forward together.” By valuing the perspective that women bring, not as new or other, but as apart of the full human experience.

I’m proud to be breaking the mold, not only because I want to help share the voice of women through film, but also because Dragonfly is a story Cara, Mim and I are very excited to tell. We couldn’t do this film without the women and men in our lives—without you!

When Stillmotion’s founder Patrick Moreau handed me a booklet and on the cover it said “Director’s Handbook”, my first thoughts were:

Director. OK. Deep breath.

This is what I wanted, right? I came to EVO for a challenge. But, director? Leading a team of 6 to tell an important story that matters. Gulp. I was equal parts excited and nervous for what the next 48 hours would hold.

I used to be a photographer and have recently fallen in love with the power of film. I’m also a mother of two wonderful kids. As a busy mom with a part-time career, I’m used to juggling responsibility and making decisions. But, I don’t have a ton of experience in motion. And I’ve certainly never dove into anything as ambitious as leading a team of 6 to develop, shoot, and deliver a story over 48 hours.

I wish I could say that I felt excited and up to the challenge. But, really I felt like I was going to puke. I felt responsible for the experience that the 6 people on my team were about to embark on. They had taken time away from their own work and families to come to EVO to learn. And as director I felt like I needed to make sure they had a positive experience. Not to mention, we had an unknown story that we had to tell in two days.

Could I really do this? We were all about to find out.

At 2pm we were handed our project briefs. The ball was rolling. There was no turning back. In the next 48 hours we would be telling the story of Oregon Public House, the world’s first non-profit pub.

The Oregon Public House. Our group’s non-profit with a crazy twist you need to see to believe.

Here are my top 5 directing tips that I learned from my first time directing:

1) Be prepared for questions. A LOT of them.

I had no idea how many decisions you are faced with as director. No clue. I thought 5 days away from my kids would mean answering less questions. Whoa, was I wrong.

I wish I would have been able to count the number of questions I was asked in the 48 hours of our filmmaking challenge. It felt endless.

How should the shot of the bartender pouring the beer feel?

Do you want the shot of cleaning the table to be shot directly overhead, or an angle?

Have we secured the location for filming Rhona’s part of the film?

Our original plan for Rhona’s interview just won’t work, where do we go instead?

Did someone call Rhona and let her know the new plan?

Do we need to rearrange the schedule to give us time to find a location?

We are running late, should we push back lunch?

Do the photos of the pub being built need to be printed on matte or glossy paper?

I can’t find matte paper, do we REALLY need matte paper?

Does the background noise of the ice maker bother you?

How many different hands do you want holding the photos?

I quickly learned that the reality of being a director is that it is all about making decisions. And because the decisions just keep coming, you can’t take forever on each question. You need to decide pretty swiftly what to make a call on, what to delegate, and what to discuss in more detail.

I also learned that sometimes I had to go against a crew member’s suggestion for a decision. Which was especially challenging because there usually wasn’t time to explain my thinking. I would try to circle back later and share where I was coming from, but even that was hard as I was often on to the next decision. And the next. And the next.

The good news is that on the first day of our challenge, we filled a white board with over 50 keywords informed by our research about OPH.

We drew lines between connected keywords. We circled words. We un-circled words. We put stars by words. We crossed out words. We landed on five keywords to guide our storytelling for the project: community, sustainability, connection, effortless, and opportunity.

So, while there were a million decisions to make in 48 hours. We had a filter to help make those decisions. Did the answer to a question, support our keywords and our story? If so, it was worth spending time on. If not, the keywords were a helpful way guide us to move on.

One example where the keywords informed a big decision in the film, was when we were setting up to film the historical photos of the pub being built. We had planned to slide across the photos on one of the the wooden pub table. But then P asked me, does that fit with the keywords? When I took the time to think about, sliding on the photos didn’t really feel right when we held it up to the lens of our keywords. We’d simply fallen into that common trap of going with what we knew, what worked.

Instead, we asked ‘What would say community and connection?’ Putting the photos in people’s hands. Lots of different people’s hands in the community. We took the time to stop and think through the choice, and doing so really made the historical photos shown in our film more authentically connected to our story.

Our team whiteboarding their keywords early in the process. Check out how full that board is.

2) Never stop listening.

After we had our keywords, our next big question was ‘who would be the heart of our story?’ Who would be that singular perspective for the audience to connect to and through which our story would be told.

Ryan Saari founded Oregon Public House, the non-profit we were making a film for. He is charismatic and engaging. He’s a pastor and well-spoken. He makes a TedTalk look like a walk in the park (with a pint in his hand). And he came up with a CRAZY idea for a pub that you’ll see in our film below.

He would have been a great choice for the heart of our story. But we couldn’t just settle for the obvious.

If the well-spoken, engaging, and charismatic founder of OPH wasn’t our heart, then who was? And why were we making the process seemingly so hard on ourselves? Because by doing so, we didn’t move the story by choosing Ryan at the start. We put him on our list of leads, but we also kept listening and digging deeper into the story.

As we dug deeper, we started to build a list of possible hearts that included:

The neighborhood mail lady who also volunteered at the pub.

A local couple who helped build the pub, with mom carrying a newborn on her back.

A retired gentleman who had volunteered every week since the beginning.

The pub’s general manager who was SO passionate about helping individuals grow.

An original founder of the pub who comes weekly for his founder’s benefit of a free pint of beer.

A pub neighbor who has lived nearby for over 40 years who has seen the area transform and change over the years.

Then it happened.

One of the charities that OPH was supporting at the time was Braking Cycles, a non-profit that connects homeless youth with bikes for mobility and mentorships in bike repair for job skills. Ryan had mentioned Rhona, the founder of Braking Cycles, as a possible connection.

She was further down our list, only because we talked about her later in the meeting with Ryan. After going through many leads that were not panning out, we sent Rhona a Facebook message. And she immediately responded that she was available to talk.

When we began our call, Rhona told me that she started Braking Cycles to help bridge a huge gap that exists for homeless youth in Portland. To use the best of what Portland has to offer (green thinking, recycling, bikes, coffee) to give homeless youth opportunities.

Braking Cycles had just gotten off the ground and Rhona was so honored to have been chosen as one of the charities supported by OPH this summer. Rhona’s dream is to grow Breaking Cycles to a place where she can open a bike and coffee shop that pairs homeless youth with mentors to learn job skills in bike repair and customer service. Rhona said she knows that the support and exposure from being chosen as an OPH charity will help make that dream a reality.

So then, I asked her why she was so passionate about helping homeless youth through Breaking Cycles.

And then she told me she was born into homelessness.

Her birth certificate listed a camp ground as her first address because she lived in a car for the first 7 years of her life.

She continued to tell me her story about being on the streets and addicted to drugs at 11. She said she knows what it is like to sleep under a bridge. To run and be in danger.

She told me she was on the streets and pregnant at 14. And that her baby saved her life.

When she became a mother at 15, she made a promise to herself that she would put herself in a position someday to come back and help homeless youth. And she’s doing just that with Breaking Cycles.

I don’t know what I was expecting when I called Rhona. But I can tell you I wasn’t expecting her story. A story that moved me so deeply. A story of a woman who had been through such heartbreaking hardships at such a young age, but found the strength to return to the streets and help youth that are in the position she once was.

Our team reconvened to talk about the heart of our story and it became pretty clear that Rhona was our heart.

Rhona came to meet us for the first time at 9:30pm the night before we were to begin production.

We could have made the obvious choice that was right in front of us at 4pm. We could have saved ourselves several hours of stress as we tried to search for additional options for the heart of our story.

But we trusted the process and kept listening. We continued to dig and search for strong connections. And in doing so, we really deepened the story we told.

Rhona, the heart of our story, whom we discovered 9:30PM the night before production started.

3) Make the time to take the time.

In a parenting book I read many years back, I found a powerful nugget of wisdom. Time-outs are just as often for the parent as they are for the child.

I wish I would have remembered that lesson more on our shoot day. I could have used a few time-outs during our EVO shoot. Just to regroup and remember what was important in our story. But, I was daunted by all we had to accomplish in such a short amount of time, so I kept charging forward.

There was a communication breakdown between us and Ryan and the pub staff about how much we would be up in their business at the pub on the shoot day. We needed to be behind the bar to get shots of a beer pouring. We needed to mop their floor. We needed to set up lights and have gear in their space. We needed to talk to patrons during the lunch rush.

The staff was friendly, but it was clear we were in their way. And they weren’t prepared for us being in their way all day. Once we realized that the staff wasn’t thrilled we were there, we could have all really benefited from a time-out with the staff. To explain that what were were doing there on that Wednesday was going to help OPH in a big way. To tell their story so they could help more charities.

Our crew was moving on multiple setups in the pub. Everyone was doing their best, but we were an inexperienced team, so we were not necessarily working as efficiently as possible. We lost our interview location. We were behind schedule. And we only had one day for production.

When you have too much to do in too little time, stopping to pull people together seems like the wrong thing to do. But we finally took five minutes for a team time-out. We recapped where we were at, celebrated our successes, then clearly went over what everybody had to do to complete the job. It pulled us together and reminded us of our goals.

It energized and focused us together as a team again. Those five minutes made all the difference in how we closed out a long and tiring day, and how connected every team member felt to the story we told together.

4) Never forget about the experience.

In the first few moments of my Tuesday phone call with Rhona, we had a connection. Even though our life experiences were vastly different, we clicked. We talked about our kids and about wanting to make a difference in the world.

As we were waiting for the crew to set up to film Rhona, she and I looked through some photos she brought of her daughters when they were babies. As we talked about motherhood, we both got pretty emotional. I was running on 2 hours of sleep, and hadn’t seen or talked to my kids in days. She was showing me photos of her as a teenage mom. The authentic experience you’re looking for on-camera was so there, but we just hadn’t gotten to set yet.

I planned to just continue that energy and experience on to set.

But instead, when we got her on set, I got more official. I stayed back by the camera. I didn’t engage with her in the same way that I did off camera

I feel like I gave the teleprompter and crew more attention than Rhona. Did she need another turtle on the prompter to slow it down and help with pacing? Was my DP set to roll? Did audio feel ready? Should we flag that harsh light coming in from the window? What is our focal length and framing?

Rhona did several takes of the script and they were pretty good. But the takes didn’t go there – to that emotionally raw place we had shared before, off camera.

A few takes in, P. came in close to Rhona and reminded her of a powerful story she had told earlier that day. A story about teenage Rhona who was hungry and alone. She had stood for hours staring at leftover meatballs in somebody’s fridge. She was trying to sort out how to eat just one and move the rest around so that nobody would notice. She was balancing not haven eaten for days with the potential of abuse if she was caught.

But taking that moment to be there with her. For real. To remind her of what this is about, and who she was trying to help, made all of the difference.

The take after P. moved in close, grabbed her hand, and spoke with her is the one that you will see at the end of our OPH film. And it’s POWERFUL. It was a huge teaching moment for me to see that it really is all about the experience. On and off set.

It is oh so easy as a director to get so overwhelmed with the amount of questions you’re getting hit with that you forget that you also need to create an experience for both your crew and those in your film. The time-out was a moment for our crew. And this conversation with Rhona was a moment just for her.

The whole team making a final push on the narrative, sound design, and color as the deadline approached.

5) People first. No matter what.

By 7pm on the shooting day of our EVO challenge, we had already been shooting for 10 hours. We were behind schedule. Our team was tired and hungry.

We were also losing our light. The sun was setting and there was no way to stop that.

And to top that off, we still had one of our most challenging series of shots to accomplish. And it was one of those shots that just make your story – the one we couldn’t live without.

We needed somebody homeless, on the streets, to open our story and setup our hook.

Rhona took us to the Burnside Bridge which is quite the eye-opener at dusk. On, under and around the bridge, hundreds of homeless people settle into their tents, sleeping bags, and refrigerator boxes for the night.

With Rhona’s help, I approached several homeless people on the bridge and asked them if we could film them. Alison who was getting ready for the night in her tent, didn’t want her face filmed. Lucy was in a sleeping bag on the bridge, and while she let us film her, she was actually 45 years old. We needed a homeless youth.

Just when I thought we weren’t going to get the shot we had planned for, Cassie approached us. I told her how filming her would help our story to make a difference for homeless youth. She wanted to do it, even though we were out of the fast-food gift cards we had been handing out to those who were allowing us to film them.

While Krystal, Ahbi and P. setup the shot under the bridge, I talked with Cassie. She told me that she left home two years ago at 16 because as a lesbian she wasn’t welcome in her parents’ home. She told me about how her day was upsetting because the police questioned her earlier about a stabbing that happened under the Burnside Bridge. Right where we were standing.

I could have caved to the uncomfortable situation and stopped talking. I could have rushed us along because we had no light. But instead, I kept talking with Cassie. Listening and making sure she felt heard.

She sat down for the opening shot of our story on the train platform under the Burnside Bridge and held a sign asking for money. But before she did, I told her “I’m right here with you. You’re not alone.” I sat down on the dirty ground across from her, as close as I could without being in frame. We locked eyes, and we shared a genuine connection.

Whether a CEO or a homeless teen under a bridge, always put people first for the deepest storytelling.

The Final Unveiling of our film (just 48 hours after we started)!

We all gathered at Stillmotion for the premieres of the EVO films. When I arrived, after editing up to the very last minute, I was so happy to see that both Ryan and Rhona, from the non-profits, were able to attend. I gave Rhona a big hug and she introduced me to two of her daughters and two of their friends.

When it was time for our film to play, I was sort of watching the film but mostly watching Rhona and her daughters watch the film. Watching their reactions to the story our team told.

I learned later that night from Rhona’s daughter, that she didn’t know all the details about her mom’s story of being homeless. Our story helped her daughter know her, and love her, just a little bit more.

In just 48 hours we’d told the story of Oregon Public House and it had already made a difference.

We were an inexperienced crew, but we worked together to create a really powerful story. We did so by allowing our keywords guide our decisions, always listening, remembering to value the experience of our crew and talent, and always, always putting people first.

For me, it was a powerful experience to know that in a short amount of time, you can band together with other storytellers that you just met, and create a film that really means something.

I couldn’t have made this film without the incredible talent and hard work of the other members of my team:

From her home to her photography to her sweet baby Alma, she always amazes me with how she moves through life with effortless style and grace.

When she created Velvet Raptor, it was no surprise that her archival eco-friendly heirloom albums are also luxurious, unique, and lovely. Her albums are a piece of art on their own, a treasured place to hold your photographs and memories.

The velvet is scrumptious. The designs are stunning. And they can be personalized with names or dates.

You’ll want to get your hands on these gorgeous keepsake books at VelvetRaptor.com.

Caroline observes with her camera in a way that is so inspiring. She seeks to really understand the story and capture the complexity and uniqueness of the people she documents. I am in awe of her principled dedication and discipline about her craft.

Last year she committed to a year-long documentary project on The St. Paul Ballet. She photographs the dancers every day. The body of work that she has produced from this project is simply incredible.

Color inspiration sourced from nature.
Stylish handmade housewares.
A story that celebrates the art of being a maker.

I love telling stories about makers because here’s so much passion and hard work behind creating. It’s so intriguing to watch and learn about someone else’s creative process.

In creating the maker story for Wind & Willow Home, I was really inspired by owner Araya Jensen’s process for choosing color, constant inspiration from nature, and reverence for the medium of wood. There is an elegant playfulness to her work, and I love her fresh point of view.

I had a blast setting up the slow motion booth for my brother David’s wedding. It was such fun way for guests, young and old, to cut loose and act like kids.

Here are 4 tips for how to create a slow motion booth.

1. Increase Your Frame Rate

Set your camera on a tripod to keep it still and steady. If you have a DSLR, increase your frame rate as much as possible. I shot at 60 frames per second. So when I brought the footage into Premiere, I could tell it to play at 24 frames per second, slowing it down without it being choppy.

Here is a great tutorial on the technical aspects of setting up a slow motion booth from Super Frog Loves Tokyo:

2. Silly Costumes

Peter Pan hats, cowboy hats, beanie hats, nerd glasses, feather boas, angel wings, Mickey Mouse ears. Anything that is going to get people excited to dress up and get goofy.

3.Have A Cheerleader (and a camera operator)

At David & Natalie’s wedding, I wanted to be a guest, so we hired one of my brother’s college friends, Ardiana, to operate the camera. I had it all set up for her, so all she had to do was press record and stop as people came through the booth. Ardiana is adorable and personable, which went a long way to the photo booth’s success, she was encouraging people to participate, pick up props, and be silly. She even had a list of ideas if people didn’t know what to do (do the wave, pretend you’re watching a tennis match, play patty-cake, do the flight-attendant dance move). Remember everything is funnier in slow motion, and sometimes you just need someone to encourage you to be silly.

4. Think About Movement

Consider movement when choosing props for your guests to play with. Paper confetti, bubbles, pom-poms. They all look amazing in slow-motion. Confetti is a total mess, but completely worth it.

Creative process and cute kids.
Firetrucks, balloons, bathtime, paper airplanes.
A maker story that will make you smile.

Kimberly Senn, owner of Senn & Sons

I’m so lucky to call this pretty lady my friend. She’s smart, stylish, and funny. She’s always on-trend but also always completely down-to-earth. Whenever I’m considering a purchase for my home or my closet, I often ask myself, “What Would Kim Senn Do?”. I’m considering having colorful rubber bracelets made with this motto.

Kim owns Senn & Sons, a delightful brand of nursery art. Think whales, and firetrucks, paper airplanes, and robots. Her designs are so clean and her colors so perfectly picked, that her pieces just make you happy.

Being there for beginnings.
Documenting birth.
Powerful images celebrating life.

Documentary photographer Tasha Herrgott, owner of Red Bird Hills.

Tasha has such a beautiful eye for capturing real moments and connection.

She is very passionate about documenting birth stories. I’m so inspired by the patience and endurance it takes to photograph the birthing process. You can really feel the love, care, and respect she has for her birth story families in her powerful images, like the one’s below of Baby Jonah’s birth.

MCAD DesignWorks redesigned the walls of YouthLink. The project used inspiring quotes from notable historical figures as well as YouthLink teens to create uplifting visual messages throughout the faciility.

The environmental installation really reflects the values and mission of YouthLink, to empower youth to shape their futures by providing a safe, supportive, respectful and responsive community of excellence. YouthLink is the place where the END of homelessness and the END of poverty begin for youth served.

Documenting empowerment.
Celebrating progress.
Photographs with so much heart.

Photographer Erica Loeks (Photo credit: Laura Ivanova)

My friend Erica has one of the biggest hearts on earth. She is genuinely generous with her time, talent, and energy.

She introduced me to YouthLink two years ago when I was looking for a way to give back with my films to an organization doing good in the world. Erica has been the YouthLink photographer for many years, creating powerful imagery that tells the story of the youth served at this amazing organization.

YouthLink provides services, resources, and support to youth experiencing homelessness. My work on film projects for YouthLink has been both inspiring and humbling. I am reminded to be grateful for all of the opportunities and resources in my life. The drive and determination of the youth at YouthLink is incredible, inspiring me to continue to give generously of my time and talent to help and support this important work in our community.

Innovate and elevate.
Surround yourself with experts.
Work really hard and be kind.

Amol Dixit, owner of Hot Indian Foods.

I really respect my friend Amol’s business skills, energy and work ethic. In his opening year of Hot Indian Foods, Minneapolis St. Paul Magazine named Hot Indian the best new food truck in 2013.

Amol keeps building and growing the Hot Indian brand, and in addition to the food truck truck opened a brick-and-mortar location for Hot Indian in the Midtown Global Market in 2014. His delicious indurritos and frites have gained an incredible following in the Minneapolis food truck scene.

I also have a huge creative crush on his lovely wife, writer Pallavi Sharma Dixit, who is indeed one Hot Indian! She and I hope to collaborate on a film together someday, can’t wait for that.

Liz is an inspiration to me as an artist and business owner. She has a clear version and a beautifully unique point of view in her work. She is still primarily a film shooter, and that choice supports her aesthetic vision so perfectly.

Colors have a subtle dreaminess. Moments seem to linger in her images rather than be caught or captured. The world is a little softer and more lovely through Liz’s lens.

Liz is recognized as one of the country’s leading photographers. She travels the globe shooting weddings for clients who place photography at the top of their priority list. Even with all that acclaim, she is as nice as they come. Down-to-earth and kind and real.

I’m so lucky to have you as my friend, Liz! I greatly value your support and encouragement on my own creative journey. You’re really an inspiration.